Meade ETX-90 : Camera Adapter
A super telephoto at a super price...
At the end of last year we found an ETX-90 telescope that was BADLY in need of some TLC. We acquired it, cleaned it, and salvaged what we could of it. We considered tackling the tripod project, but ultimately decided to pass it on to someone more committed.
After cleaning up the scope, we extracted the OTA, and found that the main mirror was the only piece worth saving: all the other optical pieces were too damaged to be worth fixing. We’ll part out those pieces for others interested in keeping their ETX scopes going.
The all-seeing “eye.”
Camera Adapter
Because it is very light, we thought the OTA would make a good “grab & go” astrophotography scope. Our idea is to pair it with a spare Nikon body and have all the camera settings preconfigured so when we needed/wanted it, it would be quickly ready for action.
As with so many things/ideas related to astrophotography gear, theory and practice don’t always immediately align. One would think that with our large collection of adapters we’d be able to find a combination which would allow us to mount a Nikon camera adapter to the ETX-90 OTA…but one would be wrong.
So many choices…all of them a bust.
Apparently, the thread in the rear of the OTA on ETX scopes are not the standard 2″ SCT Schmidt threads, and nothing in our collection fitted the ETX’s 34.5mm diameter.
MEADE #07363 Adapter
In order to attach the Nikon body to the OTA, we needed a part call the T-adapter. However, Meade discontinued their #07363 adapter at least a decade ago. Fortunately, we knew exactly where to look on the used market to find one 😉 Also, note that the rear of the Meade ETX scopes are not all the same. The ETX-90 is DIFFERENT than the ETX-60!!!
The two best places for used telescope gear are the classifieds of Astromart and CloudyNights. We have purchased many things on both over the years and have found everyone we’ve done business with to be very pleasant and honest. Of course, we always have our “scam-dars” on alert whenever dealing with strangers on the Internet…as should everyone.
Adaption, adapting, adapted; take your pick.
A bit of luck landed us this near-mint condition Meade T-Adapter for the ETX-90 from a member on CloudyNights, and a week or so later we had it in house. As per the classified ad, the item was in pristine condition, and fitted the ETX-90 perfectly. We had no problem installing the Nikon adapter or attaching it to the Nikon D40 body.
Easy-peasey lemon squeezey – IF you have the correct diameter.
One thing we didn’t expect about the Meade T-Adapter is that the orientation of the camera is easily adjusted even after attaching it to the OTA. This is because it has a built-in freely rotating section…a very nice feature indeed!
Looks weird-ish, works perfectly.
FirstShot
The day was kind of dreary, but with the Nikon mounted on the OTA, we were eager to see how the setup would perform.
I spy with my…moderately small telescope/camera setup…so many things!
The rig is a little more rear-heavy because of the camera body, but it sat firmly on the tripod using the mounting holes at the bottom of the OTA.
Steady and rugged.
The photo below is of a house number a few hundred yards away. It is a bit fuzzy, but we did take it through a double-paned window, mostly because it was too cold to open it/go outside. We are certain that, with more careful focusing, we will be able to get sharper and clear shots, but that will have to wait for a warmer day…LOL.
A very distant neighbor.
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